Independent 10,830 by Radian

It’s Radian again on a Tuesday.

What a colourful grid.

We expected a theme on a Tuesday but didn’t think there would be quite so many related clues. We have highlighted all the food items we could identify but then there were related ones such as MENU, NAPKIN RING and TABLE LINEN. We then thought about the LIVER and STOMACH, part of the DIGEST(ive) system. There’s OVEREATING while CONSUME(ing) and the way that food is prepared such as ICED, AL DENTE and GRILL(ed). Hopefully the food is all LUSCIOUS. We even wondered whether KELLOGG is part of the theme as well.

We could have highlighted party perhaps and even celandine. Radian must have been MORTIFIED not to fill the whole grid with related words.

What a feast for a Tuesday. Thanks Radian.

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS

1. Shark tail is seen within banks of Forth (7)

DOGFISH

DOG (tail) IS inside or ‘seen within’ F H (first and last letters only or ‘banks of’ Forth)

5. Bear‘s paunch (7)

STOMACH

Double definition

10. Hands university a list of courses (4)

MEN (hands) U (university)

11. Game monarch hosting cool queen’s band at dinner (6,4)

NAPKIN RING

NAP (game) KING (monarch) around or ‘hosting’ IN (cool) R (queen)

12. What workers collect almost swamps court (6)

NECTAR

NEAR (almost) around or ‘swamping’ CT (court)

13. Sexy Mike’s not into improvised soul music (8)

LUSCIOUS

An anagram (‘improvised’) of SOUL mUSIC without M (mike)

14. Begin introducing a medic at Yankee pre-match bash (4,5)

STAG PARTY

START (begin) around or ‘introducing’ A GP (medic) + Y (Yankee)

16. Story involving very rare organ (5)

LIVER

LIE (story) around or ‘involving’ V (very) + R (rare)

17. Throw away unfinished jam (5)

SCRAP

SCRAPe (jam) missing last letter or ‘unfinished’

19. Girl and boy return clasping new spring flower (9)

CELANDINE

ENID (girl) and ALEC (boy) reversed or ‘returning’ around or ‘clasping’ N (new)

23. Meat loaf half eaten during flight (8)

ESCALOPE

LOaf (half only) inside or ‘eaten by’ ESCAPE (flight)

24. Police officer gets bad review (6)

DIGEST

DI (Police Officer) and an anagram (‘bad’) of GETS

26. What’s spread before spread? (5,5)

TABLE LINEN

Cryptic definition

27. Like some cakes brought in twice daily (4)

ICED

Hidden (‘brought’) in twICE Daily

28. Red Cross tails vehicle heading off in fog (7)

MARXIST

X (cross) after cAR (vehicle) missing first letter or ‘heading off’ in MIST (fog)

29. Cereal producer‘s large diary kept in barrel (7)

KELLOGG

L (large) LOG (diary) inside or ‘kept in’ KEG (barrel)

DOWN

2. Binge before opening oxygen tank (7)

OVEREAT

ERE (before) inside or ‘opening’ O (oxygen) VAT (tank)

3. Paper covers nearly bankrupt seed repository (5)

FRUIT

FT (paper as in Financial Times) around or ‘covering’ RUIn (bankrupt) missing last letter or ‘nearly’

4. Performed tune backwards for drink (7)

SANGRIA

SANG (performed) AIR (tune) reversed or ‘backward’

6. Long time associated with a YBA (6)

THIRST

T (time) HIRST (Damien Hirst was a YBA – a Young British Artist)

7. Die from it, shattered and humiliated (9)

MORTIFIED

An anagram (‘shattered’) of DIE FROM IT

8. Tot tucked into ice cream that’s put away (7)

CONSUME

SUM (tot) inside or ‘tucked into’ CONE (ice cream)

9. Reveal how to clumsily pod legumes? (5,3,5)

SPILL THE BEANS

If you were to pod beans (legumes) clumsily you might SPILL THE BEANS

15. Greek cross about notice left in a V&A fish dish (9)

GRAVADLAX

GR (Greek) X (cross) around or ‘about’ AD (notice) L (left) inside V A

18. Root fool dunked in wine (7)

CASSAVA

ASS (fool) inside or ‘dunked into’ CAVA (wine)

20. Firm to eat and drink to get over depression (2,5)

AL DENTE

ALE (drink) around or ‘getting over’ DENT (depression)

21. Gents arranged to hide, say, savings (4,3)

NEST EGG

An anagram (‘arranged’) of GENTS around or ‘hiding’ EG (say)

22. Officer is swigging superior sauce (6)

COULIS

COL (Colonel- officer) IS around or ‘swigging’ U (superior)

25. Cook fish maybe in Gulf Stream (5)

GRILL

G (gulf) RILL (stream)

11 comments on “Independent 10,830 by Radian”

PostMark

#1 - Tue 29th Jun 21, 07:37

MORTIFIED is the perfect word to pick in your summary, B&J, in that I do think it’s the only one here that doesn’t contain any theme related reference at all. You suggested party and celandine could be included (you can eat the flowers, leaves and roots) and I’d add stag which can certainly be eaten. SCRAPs are what might be left over and bird’s NEST soup is or was a Chinese delicacy. That only leaves SPILL THE and the odd letters of the aforementioned MORTIFIED unaccounted for. Chapeau to Radian. NAPKIN RING favourite for the delightful definition.

Thanks Radian and B&J

copmus

#2 - Tue 29th Jun 21, 07:44

Very ingenious grid fill and good fun. Thanks Radian and B&J

trenodia

#3 - Tue 29th Jun 21, 08:30

One of the definitions of MORTIFIED that I found on the internet is “Practice self-denial of one’s body and appetites’

A lovely puzzle. Thank you.

Undrell

#4 - Tue 29th Jun 21, 09:02

Nice theme… I had TABLE CLOTH to start with which worked well until it didn’t… everything else was very pleasant..
Thanks Radian n Bertandjoyce

PostMark

#5 - Tue 29th Jun 21, 09:33

trenodia @3: That’s a great spot , whether intended by the setter or not. I did explore an alternative route – was there another – food-related – word that fitted the crossers? Unfortunately not – although I did invent MARZIPIED as a possible adjective describing a sweet pastry???

Undrell

#6 - Tue 29th Jun 21, 10:18

All very well … but 28ac seems against the theme.. altho Karl did interest himself in the politicisation of food..

PostMark

#7 - Tue 29th Jun 21, 10:33

Good point Undrell. How did I miss that when staring at the coloured in grid? Maybe he liked red meat?

WordPlodder

#8 - Tue 29th Jun 21, 12:36

A Tuesday feast indeed. About as many theme related words (almost) filling the grid as I can remember, so a great effort from Radian. As a bonus I now know who Damien Hirst is. Well, his name anyway, even if he’s a complete mystery otherwise.

Thanks to Radian and B&J.